


Stains

by Emeraldsnows



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pizza Place, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, M/M, that tattoo au no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 16:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5340386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emeraldsnows/pseuds/Emeraldsnows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Ok, this looks bad.”</p>
<p>That’s an understatement, Sam thought, looking at his new client’s back and the god-awful tattoo spreading across the lower half of it. “I’m guessing there was something like tequila involved in this?”</p>
<p>“And I may have thrown up on the guy’s shoes before he started,” the client- he’d introduced himself as Barton before taking his jacket off- admitted. </p>
<p>The Bird Bros Tattoo Shop AU literally no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stains

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RoseSquared](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseSquared/gifts).



> So this began when my friend asked for a WinterHawk fic. I'm not sure what happened but that's not what this is at all.   
> Check end of chapter notes for more details on everyone's roles and reference pictures...

“Ok, this looks bad.”

 

_That’s an understatement_ , Sam thought, looking at his new client’s back and the god-awful tattoo spreading across the lower half of it. “I’m guessing there was something like tequila involved in this?”

 

“And I may have thrown up on the guy’s shoes before he started,” the client- he’d introduced himself as Barton before taking his jacket off- admitted.

 

“That’ll do it,” Sam agreed. “Wow, this is bad.”

 

“Story of my life,” Barton said.

 

“You have your heart set on any sort of theme for a cover up?” Sam asked.

 

“Literally anything that will make me look less of an idiot,” Barton said, letting his shirt and jacket fall back into place. “I do that well enough on my own.”

 

Sam smirked at the joke. “Well, you’ve certainly come to the right guy.”

 

“That’s what Nat said,” Barton stated.

 

“You know the Widow?” Sam asked, using Natasha’s nickname in the shop.

 

“We’re friends, I think,” Barton explained. “She’s given me a few of her stings before.”

 

Sam looked at him expectantly, always eager to see the work of his coworkers.

 

Barton squirmed under his scrutiny. “They’re in some… private places. Nat can be vicious when it comes to getting back at people.”

 

“You really like pissing off people who wield needles professionally,” Sam pointed out with a soft chuckle.

 

“Hopefully a pattern I won’t continue,” Barton said and was that the hint of a flirtatious grin on his admittedly kissable lips? “So, think you can help me?”

 

“Well, covering up a- is that an eagle?- made out of pizza will be pretty tricky, but I’m always up for a challenge.” Sam added a flirtatious grin of his own.

 

Hey, the guy was hot. A bit scruffy looking, but Sam could get into that.

 

“Great,” Barton said with a relieved sigh. He reached out to shake Sam’s hand. “Um, you don’t mind if I just leave you to your creative devices? I’ve got a um… thing to get to in like, thirty minutes.”

 

“That’s cool,” Sam reassured, glancing up at the clock on his office wall. It was almost late enough to pack up, if he could convince everyone else to leave a little earlier than usual. “Just have a talk with whoever is up front, they’ll set up a date that’s good for you.”

 

“Uh, Nat’s really cranky boyfriend was up there last I checked,” Barton said hesitantly.

 

Oh, Bucky was on desk duty. That explained why it had been such a slow day.

 

“On second thought, I’ll follow you out,” Sam amended.

 

Natasha was at the front desk as well, feet propped in Bucky’s lap, idly twirling a pencil between her fingers. Bucky was hunched over his sketchbook.

 

“Move over, lovebirds,” Sam said, sliding Nat’s stool out of the way of the appointment book. She turned with the movement and leered at Barton.

 

“Did you laugh?” she asked Sam.

 

“No, because unlike most of the employees here, I am a professional,” Sam stated. Bucky scoffed under his breath and Sam ignored him. “So what’s your schedule look like?”

 

They worked out a date that would work for both of them, Wednesday afternoon because Barton’s nights seemed to be booked up entirely and Sam only opened on Wednesdays. Natasha made snide comments under her breath to Bucky the whole time.

 

“Here’s my card with the date and time,” Sam said, handing it over. If it also happened to have his personal number penciled in the corner, well, no one but Barton needed to know. Barton looked down at it, quirked an eyebrow, but tucked it into his back pocket without comment.

 

That of course set off the peanut gallery into a fit of giggles.

 

“If you two are done?” Sam chided.

 

Natasha’s smile was anything but innocent. Bucky just kept snickering into his hand.

 

“They’ve both done worse,” Barton pointed out. His faced paled slightly when Natasha’s smile turned on him.

 

“We’re coming by later for pizza,” she informed him.

 

“Did someone say pizza?”

 

Steve came out from the back, wiping his hands on a rag. He always seemed to pop up when food was mentioned, despite how scrawny he was.

 

“No,” Barton said firmly as soon as Natasha opened her mouth to reply. “You are not bringing your crazy friends to my job.”

 

“You’re here at mine,” Natasha reminded him sweetly.

 

And that’s how Shield Pizzeria was overrun by the artists of the Howling Commandos tattoo parlor and their across-the-street competitors, the Avengers, at 1 a.m.

 

“You _had_ to invite Stark,” Peggy complained to Steve, leaning around Sam to do so.

 

“You invited Angie,” Steve pointed out.

 

“Angie doesn’t work for the enemy,” Peggy retorted.

 

“We still make more money than them anyway.”

 

“Hey!” Tony protested. Steve patted his cheek.

 

Sam was mostly ignoring the antagonistic banter that always went on between the shops. His focus was on the far wall where a large window showed off the kitchen. And inside, Barton was flipping pizza dough over his head showing off his amazingly defined biceps. He’d been wearing a jacket in the shop, Sam hadn’t been able to see them.

 

But now, exposed by the tank top Clint was wearing, well, hot damn, sign Sam up for that.

 

“You’re drooling,” Natasha said, breaking into Sam’s thoughts before they could head for the gutter.

 

Sam blinked at her and her smug smile.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he deflected even though his eyes were still firmly glued to Barton.

 

Natasha shrugged as if she believed him. He tore his gaze away to look for Darcy, her evil matchmaking soul-twin. Oh good, she was on the other end of the table, too far away for them to conspire properly. He’d just have to make sure things stayed that way.

 

A pretty teenager stepped out from the back to take their drink orders. She stopped when she recognized Natasha.

 

“Friends of the boss?” She asked, gesturing to their whole table.

 

Natasha nodded.

 

“You guys are gonna be here all night, aren’t you.” It was more a put-upon sigh than an actual question.

 

“Most likely,” Angie replied cheerily.

 

“We tip well,” Tony said, waving a wad of cash he’d pulled from his pocket. The girl immediately perked up.

 

“Let me go get those drinks in and let the boss-man know you’re here.”

 

“Who’s boss-man?” Darcy asked, leaning forward conspiratorially. “And how do we know him?”

 

“Clint Barton,” Natasha answered as everyone else looked at her curiously. “He’s a walking human disaster, ask to see his tattoo when Kate drags him out.”

 

“New client?” Steve asked Sam.

 

“If you lot don’t scare him off first,” Sam replied with a frown.

 

“Darcy and I want to help,” Natasha added.

 

“Not happening,” Sam denied. He went completely ignored as Darcy popped up and dashed to Natasha’s side. “I hate you both.”

 

“They’re gonna do it anyway, might as well not fight it,” Peggy advised, more than experienced with Natasha’s need to pair everyone off. “At least you’ll get a new boy toy out of it like Steve did.”

 

“And maybe if you’re lucky they won’t even start a betting pool,” Angie chimed in, wrapping an arm around Peggy’s waist.

 

“Wait, how come we never got a betting pool?” Tony asked.

 

“Sucker bet,” Bruce deadpanned. Tony stuck his tongue out at him.

 

“I can get my own dates, you know,” Sam tried to remind them. There was an offensive number of scoffs following.

 

Sam’s not-pouting was interrupted as Barton was pushed along to their table.

 

“-don’t have any rich friends, why do you think I work here?” he was saying as Kate shoved him forward. He frowned at the sight of them all. “None of you are my friends.”

 

“Rude,” Natasha said.

 

“Will you show us your tattoo?” Darcy asked far too eagerly.

 

“No,” Clint denied.

 

“Are these the people who gave you that god-awful thing?” Kate inquired.

 

“No, that was some guy named Pokey.”

 

“Loki?” Thor demanded, head snapping up from the menu.

 

“Or that, sure,” Clint said.

 

“Oh no, what’s he done now?” Jane asked.

 

“It’s a good one,” Sam interjected.

 

“Traitor,” Clint accused but he was smiling.

 

“Well, come on then,” Tony encouraged.

 

“I’m going back to work.”

 

Clint made the mistake of turning his back on them.

 

Kate sprang forward, lifting the hem of his sauce-splattered shirt to reveal the monstrosity beneath. The whole table broke out in sympathetic _ooh’s_ and hisses.

 

“You poor bastard,” Angie said.

 

“You’re closing every night for a year,” Clint told Kate, yanking his shirt back down. His ears were bright red as he ducked back into the kitchen. Sam found it oddly endearing.

 

Several hours and more beers later, Sam found a moment to sneak away from his rowdy friends and lean casually into the kitchen window. They were the only patrons this late at night but Clint was still busy, prepping for the next day as well as finishing up the extra pizzas for Bucky, Thor, and Angie who were all bottomless pits.

 

“I hope you guys aren’t staying open just for us,” Sam said.

 

Clint glanced up at him. “Not really. I usually try to keep the place open for the late night working crowd. You guys alone are doubling Katie-kate’s usual tip rate so I figure it’s worth a few extra hours open.”

 

“Stark will probably triple that for her,” Sam commented. “But listen, I wanted to apologize for everyone being dicks earlier.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Clint waved a flour-covered hand at him. “I’m used to being the butt of everyone’s jokes.

 

Sam frowned. “Doesn’t mean you should be ok with it.”

 

Clint shrugged. “What can you do, people are gonna laugh at something. Might as well be someone who can take it.”

 

“Let me make it up to you,” Sam offered, because wow, that was not a healthy outlook on life.

 

“How you gonna do that?” Clint asked with a raised eyebrow. “You’re already fixing my tattoo, trust me when I say the rest of me is a much worse challenge.”

 

Sam grinned, slipping into what he liked to call “smooth motherfucker mode.”

 

“How’s about you let me take you out to dinner and I’ll show you how much I like a challenge.”

 

Clint paused in his dough kneading to look him up and down. “You really wanna flirt like that with me? Dangerous move.”

 

“I’m into that.”

 

“You won’t get into trouble, hitting on a client?”

 

“We’re all consenting adults here.”

 

“Wow, you two suck at this.”

 

They both jumped apart as Kate popped up behind Clint. Neither of them had realized they’d been leaning closer through the window the longer they talked.

 

“Really, Kate?” Clint groaned.

 

“Stark and Rogers are worse, believe me,” Darcy chimed in from behind Sam, making him jump again. “Alright, boys, here’s the plan. Nat’s cleared your schedule for Wednesday after you start work on Clint’s cover up.”

 

“Wade’s coming in to cover your shift, so you’ll be free, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t burn the place down or blow up the oven again,” Kate added, patting Clint’s arm.

 

“You’ve both got a night of paintball set up for you after Clint’s session so he can take out his frustrations on you for stabbing him for hours. And it gives you the perfect excuse to wash each other off after,” Darcy continued. “Buy all the junk food you want at the snack bar, it’s on Stark.”

 

Clint looked adorably bewildered by the storm of efficiency that just blew past him. Sam just looked back at the table where Natasha looked like the cat with both cream and canary.

 

“Great,” he sighed. “Now there’s three of them.”

**Author's Note:**

> Howling Commandos Tattoo Shop:  
> Sam- cover-up artist, he fixes people's mistakes  
> Bucky- dotwork (http://www.nazareno-tubaro.com/detalle.php?id=59)  
> Steve- American traditional (http://blog-cdn.tattoodo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/america.png?89c56e by Oliver Peck)  
> Peggy- realism, specializing in portraits(http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2013-12/enhanced/webdr05/18/12/enhanced-buzz-4123-1387388352-2.jpg by Kat Von D)  
> Natasha- piercist
> 
> Avengers Tattoo Shop:  
> Tony- biomechanical (http://nickbaxter.com/tattoos/tattoos_67577.html)  
> Pepper- manager/ 12% owner  
> Bruce- Japanese traditional (http://www.genko-tattoo.com/files/galleries/gallery_main_54c6efd4caddd.jpg by Genko)  
> Darcy- new school (http://calebslabzzzgraham.deviantart.com/art/new-school-owl-tattoo-364857643)  
> Thor- walking hot advertisment
> 
> SHIELD Pizza Parlor:  
> Clint- manager (somehow)  
> Kate- employee of the month indefinitely  
> Wade- employee of the month if he can go a year without blowing up the shop (again)
> 
> Other:  
> Loki- rejected tattoo apprentice  
> Angie- flower shop owner


End file.
